The Skyline College Health Center has just joined with San Mateo Planned Parenthood to offer an Express Clinic which opened on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

The Planned Parenthood Express Clinic will be available every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

If the clinic continues to do as well as it has for the first two days, Skyline College nurse Jan Gersonde said that they hope to expand their time of availability for at least another hour.

The first and second Wednesdays of the clinic were both completely booked.

“Word is getting around,” Gersonde said, “I’m happy about that.”

kyline College signed an agreement with San Mateo Planned Parenthood which stated that it can offer services to the students that the Health Center could not, such as birth control, STD tests and treatments, and emergency contraception.

The birth control is being offered in many forms. It is offered as condoms, birth control pills and patches, Nuva Ring, Depovera injections, or emergency contraceptives.Urine tests are required for the STD testing. It does not test for HIV or HPV, only for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. The STD testing is for both males and females.

“We hope to add rapid HIV testing in the future,” said Doorack.

No physical exam is needed, but a verbal history is required. During the 15 minute appointment, a woman can receive a year’s supply of birth control in that one appointment.

The birth control and emergency contraception are available for pickup at the Skyline College Health Center in building two on the second floor.

“Besides it being more of an issue of whether birth control is moral or immoral I think it helps students be more responsible and prepared,” Skyline Student Bianca Llorena said.

Planned Parenthood has a lot of federal and state funding which enables them to provide free or low-cost health care to students.

The way that the process works is that a student fills out paperwork and then states their income. If they are unemployed they receive no income which qualifies them for free health care with a program called Family Pack.

“Currently, there is no birth control being offered on campus so students don’t really have a way to get that service,” San Mateo Planned Parenthood Nurse Practitioner Andrea Doorack said. “So us being here allows students to easily access family planning options.”

“It’s a really wonderful service,” Gersonde said.

To learn more about the Planned Parenthood Express Clinic, go to the health center. No information is currently provided online.